Some more Lila salt in this one, but for the most part this chapter is light hearted.
But this does bring out one question - do people in France play Uno? Do they call it Uno?
(I guess that's two questions).
Chapter 4: The Hatzi Family
Every once in a while, Hawkmoth did something good.
In fact, as Lacy put away her notebook after the students were finally allowed back in the classroom, she was fine with the super villain. Anything to put off that dreadful math test.
"It's nice," Alya said. "Hawkmoth usual waits until after the hardest class to akumatize someone."
"Don't tell me you're actually thankful he akumatized the janitor," Marinette replied.
"The janitor gets more respect for his work, I get an extra day to study, what's the problem?"
"I'm with Alya," Nino said. "That test is scarier than he is."
"I feel sorry for Carapace though," Lacy admitted. "I mean, he and Rena Rouge just arrived, and he was immediately blasted with trash?"
Chloe made a face. "I can't imagine how smelly he is now."
"Well he doesn't smell now," Alya argued. "Ladybug fixes everything, remember?"
"Besides, it's Chat Noir you have to feel sorry for," Alix commented. "Taking a mouthful of rotten food like that."
"Or Adrien, who spent an akuma day stuck at home," Kim added. "Just missed the whole thing."
"You sound like you enjoyed watching the heroes being beaten around with trash," Marinette noted.
"Of course not. The fun parts were when the heroes were winning. Did you see the backflip Ladybug did?"
"It was so cool!" Alix agreed.
"It was actually pretty bad form," Lila pepped up. "My PE teacher in-"
"Bad form?" Chloe snuffed. "She leaped off of a flying broom. Rossi needs to show some respect."
"I thought it was pretty cool," Alix admitted. "Of course, everything Ladybug does is cool."
"I don't understand why you were watching her," Lacy replied. "Hiding is a thing, Alix."
"But-!"
Lacy swung her bag over her shoulder and grabbed her coat off of the chair as Alix finished zipping up her backpack.
Lila was still talking, and Alya seemed enraptured (Lacy could've sworn a second ago she was annoyed at the bad form comment too, but any traces of that were gone).
Next to Alya, Marinette seemed put down by the focus on Lila.
One person. Wasn't that what Ladybug said?
"Hey Marinette, me and Alix are spending the afternoon at my place studying. Want to come?"
Marinette brightened at the suggestion. "Sure! Let me just text my parents so they know where we are!"
Lacy tapped her pencil against her paper, trying and failing to focus on the study sheet.
She, Alix, Marinette, and Nathaniel were sitting at the table, faces scrunched in concentration as they studied for the test. Alix and Marinette had both improved a lot during their study session, and Nathaniel was doing well too, but Lacy was struggling to make sense of the numbers. It didn't help that she couldn't focus, that every time her eyes met the paper her mind wandered away.
Still, even if she could focus, math was math.
Marinette finished working on a problem with Alix and glanced over at Lacy. "Any progress?"
"Nope," Lacy replied.
Marinette scooted her chair over and looked at Lacy's paper.
"Can you tell that this isn't my thing?" Lacy asked.
Marinette chuckled. "Is it anyone's?"
"You seem to be doing fine," Lacy commented.
"Doesn't feel like it." Marinette leaned forward on her elbows and wiped at her eyes. "You know what? I think we all need a break."
"Seconded," Alix said. "I'm grabbing a snack. You still have those ice creams?"
"Top shelf of the freezer," Lacy replied. "Grab one for me?"
"Sure. Marinette, Nath, you guys want one?"
"Sure," Nathaniel replied.
"Yes please." Marinette pushed her tablet away. "So, how's your family adjusting to Paris?"
"We're getting there, I think," Lacy said. "It's still weird how commonplace akuma attacks are. I mean, just the other day the Eiffel Tower collapsed and people shrugged it off as no big deal."
"Well it happens all the time," Alix said, coming back to the table with the ice creams. "The first time it was all people could talk about, but now it's nothing."
"I remember when I was akumatized it was still so new," Nathaniel recalled, taking his ice cream from Alix. "It was hard, those first couple of months, because not a lot of people understood just how convincing it all is. But now everyone knows someone's whose been akumatized."
"Poor Mr Ramier's been akumatized about forty times now," Alix added. "And a few months ago he was sent back in time by an akuma, or so I heard."
"Have you met them yet?" Nathaniel asked.
Lacy frowned. "Who? Mr Ramier?"
"No, Ladybug and Chat Noir," Alix finished.
"Oh. I met Ladybug briefly the other day - she crashed through the wall over there. Haven't met Chat Noir yet."
"Have you tried taking pictures of them?" Marinette questioned. "I know you how much you love photography."
"Oh, I, uh-" stay away from Akuma fights as much as possible "haven't really gotten the chance."
"Well if you get any, you'll have to show us," Marinette said.
"Yeah, your pictures are always so good!" Alix added.
Lacy felt herself blush. "Thanks."
"How did you get into photography anyways?" Marinette asked.
"Well, my dad took me to take climbing lessons," Lacy said. "I was very hyper as a child, and originally he put me in dance, but then he started noticing that a lot of the older girls had developed image problems. Because of the competitiveness around it, you know? So he tried to get me in a sport where that wasn't such a problem. And I loved it so much I wouldn't stop climbing for weeks. And of course, being up high all the time, I started asking to borrow Elisabeth's camera and take pictures, and that developed from there."
"That's really cool," Marinette stated. "Did you ever do climbing competitions or anything?"
"No, not really. It's more of a hobby than anything. Something to release all the excess energy."
Nathaniel took the last bite from his ice cream. "Alix keeps trying to get her to skate."
"I think it'd be fun," Alix said. "After all, you're one of my only friends who can keep up with me."
"I hope you know how exhausted I am afterwards," Lacy replied.
"If you practiced with me, you wouldn't get so exhausted," Alix pointed out. "Proper practice and exercise is important. You've seen what happens whenever someone like Lila tries to do anything athletic."
"And you never get injured?" Nathaniel questioned.
"Nope, never."
"Liar."
Marinette and Lacy both chuckled.
With all the ice creams finished, Lacy picked up the trash and walked to the kitchen to clean up.
"Anyone want anything else? Dad keeps plenty of food."
"No thanks," Marinette said. "That ice cream was good though."
"Should we get back to work?" Nathaniel suggested.
"I think I'm studied out," Alix admitted. "Let's play a game instead. UNO?"
"I'll grab the cards," Lacy agreed.
It took her ten minutes to remember where the cards were. In their old place, they had a closet for games, but they had condensed it into a drawer and she had no idea which drawer. Eventually she found the cards, and the four started a game.
Lacy ended up grabbing a bag of candy to snack on as the four played, and she was just getting up again to grab a soda when the door opened.
"I'm home," Elisabeth called out.
Lacy smiled and went to greet her stepmom with an obligatory hug.
"Hi Ms El," Alix called from the table.
"Hi Alix, Nathaniel," Elisabeth replied, walking to the table and dropping off her work bag. "And, I don't believe we've been introduced?"
"Marinette. I'm in the same class as Lacy."
"She's the designer I was telling you about," Lacy supplied.
"Yes! You've done some really cool designs, haven't you?"
"From what Lacy tells me, so have you," Marinette replied.
Elisabeth chuckled. "One or two. But I think I prefer working with designers over being one." She yawned, stretching her arms out as she did so. "Oh, I think I need sit down for a while. Your father should be here soon. Let me know if you four need anything."
Elisabeth affectionately patted Lacy's head before heading up the stairs.
"Your stepmom is so cool!" Alix said.
"She seems really nice," Marinette agreed.
"She is," Lacy replied. She sat down again, before remembering her soda in the kitchen and getting up to grab it. "You sure you don't need something to drink?"
"We're fine," Alix said. "Now are you going to play or what?"
The four of them had just finished their first game when Lacy's dad arrived with dinner.
"I didn't realize we'd be having so many over," he said. "Or I would've brought more."
Lacy chuckled. As usual, her dad had brought home more food than any of them could eat. The Hatzi family, after all, were social butterflies - someone almost always had someone over.
"Here, let me help you with that," Marinette offered.
Lacy's dad waved her off. "I can handle it just fine. You four just focus on your game."
"Actually Marinette just finished wiping us all out," Lacy said.
"Is there any game you don't win at?" Alix asked.
Marinette sighed dramatically. "Just matters of the heart."
Lacy chuckled and Alix rolled her eyes.
With the stubborn assistance of Marinette and Lacy, food was on the table within a few minutes.
"Elisabeth, honey! Dinner's ready!"
"Perfect timing." Elisabeth joined the group, hair wet and donning soft pajamas. "Oh good, you three are staying for dinner. We need some extra mouths for all the extra food that miraculously makes it's way into our home." Elisabeth gave her husband a huge welcome home hug before turning back to the teenagers. "Speaking of miraculous, wasn't there another akuma today?"
"Got us out of our math test!" Alix said.
"That's why we came over here, to get some studying done," Marinette added.
The two adults sat down at the table, and the six of them dug into the meal.
"Thank you for letting us stay for dinner," Marinette said. "I know we hadn't asked, but time slipped away and-"
"It's no problem," Lacy's dad replied. "We like having a few extra people for dinner. Besides, it sounds like your parents have been feeding Lacy well whenever she's at your place."
Lacy nodded. "Her parents are super nice."
"So did you have any school today?" Elisabeth asked.
"No," Marinette said. "We spent the whole day holed up in our safe spots."
"Or at least some of us did," Lacy said. "Alix here wanted to see the fight."
"It wasn't just me! Alya and Nino followed me!"
"Yes, because Alya is such a good rolemodel for survival instincts," Lacy commented.
"Were any of you injured?" Her dad asked.
"No," Alix said. "Though I saw Chat Noir take a mouthful of trash."
Elisabeth made a sour face. "Yuck."
"I think you can relax, Lace," Her dad commented. "I'm not one to encourage reckless endangerment, and you should be in hiding, but the damage is undone, right?"
Lacy nodded. "Right. Yeah. I'm just still not used to it."
Could she ever be? After witnessing so much damage in New York, after losing so much... the idea of a reset button was foreign. She was always afraid that it was too good to be true, that if she or her friends ever got hurt-
"I wonder if Ladybug's powers undid the nasty taste Chat Noir must have had in his mouth," Elisabeth wondered.
Marinette and Alix both snickered.
"I hope so. He made quite a face when he was hit," Marinette commented.
"Yeah, he was all like-" Alix gave her best imitation of his face, scrunching her nose up and sticking her tongue out, causing everyone to chuckle.
"I think Chat Noir has a more refined palette than trash," Marinette said when she stopped laughing. "He has visited my parents bakery a few times."
"I don't blame him, it's a great bakery," Elisabeth commented. "My coworker brings in food from there all the time to share. Best part of my work day."
"Marinette brings food for us all the time too," Nathaniel said. "It always brightens up the day."
Marinette blushed a little. "Oh, thanks. My parents love sharing, and so do I! That is, when I don't trip on the way to school and drop them all."
"Yeah, and then Alya gets all the left overs," Alix commented. "I think that's called favoritism."
"It is," Marinette agreed. "What can I say? She and I are best friends."
Marinette's smile stayed for a second, but something must have crossed her mind and her smile slipped.
"Everything okay?" Lacy's dad asked.
"Hm? Yeah. I just... remembered something from earlier."
"You and Alya aren't fighting, are you?" Alix asked. "I mean, you two are practically inseparable."
"Except when it comes to Lila," Nathaniel pointed out.
At that, Lacy's mood dropped.
Alix groaned. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Can we not talk about her?"
"Wha- I thought you two were friends?" Marinette asked.
Alix shrugged. "Eh. I mean, she's nice and all, but when she's around, everything has to be about her. Kinda wish she could show some of that support we give her, you know, without making it about all the celebrities she knows. Like the other day, we were talking about Max's video game, and she just had to point out that she knows this famous coder in Texas - I didn't even know there were famous coders! And I know Max didn't mind, but I just - we were talking about what he had accomplished, and she made it about her. It's getting annoying."
"Very interesting. She sounds like she might be doing that on purpose, especially from what -"
"Haris honey, we've talked about you diagnosing my and Lacy's friends," Elisabeth chimed in.
"You think she's doing that on purpose?" Alix asked. She frowned. "I... I never considered that. I guess it's possible."
Nathaniel shook his head. "No, Lila's a sweetheart. She wouldn't do something like that."
Alix shrugged. "Maybe. It's still annoying. I want to be able to support my classmates without talking about some celebrity in another country that Lila's met - and especially when it comes to fashion! Marinette's amazing-" Marinette was also blushing at that comment "- and Juleka's finally branching out into modeling, but Lila is always dismissing that. I don't blame you for not liking her, Marinette."
"Oh, uh, thanks," Marinette said.
Alix stretched her arms up above her. "Anyways, have you seen the new identity theories? I mean, I usually ignore them, but these are ridiculous-"
As Elisabeth and Lacy cleaned the table and Alix dragged Nathaniel to watch something online, Mr Hatzi called Marinette over.
"Yes?" Marinette asked.
Mr Hatzi pushed his glasses back up on his nose and gave Marinette a warm smile. "I just wanted to talk to you about something."
He sat down on the small couch in their living room and Marinette sat down across from him. He leaned forward on his knees and clasped his hands, and Marinette wondered if this was what he was like with his patients. If so, it was no wonder he was asked (or did he request?) to come to Paris - there was something about his gentle smile that made it easy to relax around him.
"Is everything alright?" Marinette asked.
"Actually, I was going to ask you that. It sounds like this situation with Lila is affecting you more than you're willing to admit."
Marinette blinked. "You - you noticed?"
No one else seems to, except Adrien, and only when he's really paying attention.
Well, him and Lacy. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree here.
"I'm very attentive when it comes to my daughter and her friends," Mr Hatzi said. "And, well, it is my job."
Marinette nodded. "Yeah, it's hard to deal with her at school. Like Alix was saying, she makes everything about her - but the thing is, it's all lies! And not even smart ones! All it would take is one google search, but no one makes her prove her accusations. Alya keeps telling me I'm just jealous, but really, I'm worried for everyone! Alya's been putting so much of her life on halt to help Lila was problems that she can't reasonably have! And Ms Bustier believes her without question! She gets out of almost every hard homework assignment, or leaves Alya or Max or Nathaniel to do it. Every week it's a new injury, except they heal fast or switch sides or - and I'm sick of it! The only people who know she's lying is Adrien and Lacy, but Adrien doesn't have a backbone and she's already scared Lacy to death!" Marinette took a deep breath, her chest feeling a little lighter.
"Feel better now?"
Marinette nodded. "Yes, thank you. Sometimes I forget how much telling someone can help."
"I definitely understand why she's bothering you so much. If I had to work with someone like that, I'd be pulling my hair out. Especially if I thought it was having a negative affect on my coworkers."
Marinette nodded. "Right. Thank you." She took another deep breath. "Do you have any idea of what I should do about it?"
"It's hard to say without knowing more," Mr Hatzi admitted. "Have you talked to your parents about this?"
Marinette shook her head. "Alya's already painted her up to be some angel to them, I don't want them to think that I'm being antagonistic for no reason."
"Do your parents usually believe you?"
Marinette nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. I just - it hurts being called mean or cruel, especially since she's the one doing it to me. I've been bullied for most of my life - I would never do that to anyone else. And yet." Marinette sighed. "But you believed me, I guess."
"To be fair, Lacy's come home with her fair share of complaints." Mr. Hatzi sighed. "I don't know if she told you this, but she had a bully back in Brooklyn who was a lot like Lila. She's too scared of being subject to that again, and I can't blame her. Watching her go through that - but the teachers never believed us, of course."
"She did mention that before," Marinette said. "But she's been reaching out in her own way. Like inviting me here tonight - me and Alya were supposed to do something, but she cancelled to help Lila with her homework. I don't know if Lacy overheard us or could just tell something was wrong, but inviting me here really cheered me up."
Mr. Hatzi beamed. "I'm glad to hear that. Lacy's very intuitive when it comes to other's feelings. She's like her mother like that."
"And like you," Marinette added. "Just talking it out helps me feel better. And knowing that someone else believes me."
"You did mention another friend that believes you," Mr. Hatzi said. "Adrien, was it? I haven't heard about him before. Is he in your class?"
"Yes." Marinette sighed dreamily. "And he's perfect. He has the nicest smile, and he's super kind and-" she stopped when she noticed Mr. Hatzi looking at her with an incredulous look. "What?"
"Adoring words for someone who just accused him of having no backbone."
"Yeah, I know. I always imagined him rising up, a knight in shining armor, against someone like Lila, and it isn't like he's completely abandoned me, but I wish he'd do more."
"Have you told him this?"
"I - well, you see, the thing is, I can't have a conversation with him without stuttering like an idiot."
"So that's a no? I know talking with a crush can be intimidating, but he's not a mind reader. At least not that we know of. Maybe he doesn't realize that you feel like this."
"I never considered that," Marinette admitted. "It's true that he isn't the best at reading social clues. I guess I could try to talk to him."
"Failure to communicate hinders a lot of relationship," Mr Hatzi said. "You'd be surprised how many people forget to communicate the basics."
"I'll remember that. Thank you."
In case I don't update soon, Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and have a good whatever else you might celebrate!
